Chronology of Persecutions of Babis and Baha'is

This chronology was compiled from a number of English-language histories of Babi and Bahá'í history. Its purpose was to set in context the events of persecution and martyrdom, both to track chronological order and to show the broader historical or social context of each event. I prepared it as background work for my master's thesis Dying for God: Martyrdom in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions, online at bahai-library.com/winters_dying_for_god.

I also recommend two other resources for chronological study. The first is the exhaustive chronology of Babi and Bahá'í History by Glenn Cameron and Wendi Momen, A Basic Bahá'í Chronology (Oxford: George Ronald, 1996). The second is Moojan Momen's detailed "A Chronology of some of the Persecutions of the Babis and Bahá'ís in Iran, 1844-1978," published in The Bahá'í World 1979-1983, vol. XII, pages 380-392. -J.W.

Key to Sources:

Amanat

=

Abbas
Amanat, Resurrection and Renewal

The
Bab

=

H.M.
Balyuzi, The Bab

Bayat

=

Mangol
Bayat, Mysticism and Dissent

Brown

=

Ramona
Brown, Memories of Abdu'l-Bahá

Browne

=

E.G.
Browne, Materials for the Study of The Babi Religion

Burgel

=

Joseph
Burgel, "The Bahá'í Attitude towards Peace and its Christian and Islamic
Background," in The Bahá'í Faith and Islam

EM

=

Balyuzi,
Eminent Bahá'ís in the Time of Bahá'u'lláh

Fischer

=

Michael
Fischer, "Social Change and the Mirrors of Tradition: The Bahá'ís
of Yazd," in The Bahá'í Faith and Islam

Furutan

=

Ali-Akbar
Furutan, The Story of My Heart

HMHA

=

Hájí
Mírzá Haydar-'Alí, Stories From the Delight of
Hearts

Huddleston

=

John
Huddleston, The Earth is But One Country

King

=

H.M.
Balyuzi, Bahá'u'lláh: King of Glory

Ma'ani

=

Baharieh
Ma'ani, "Interdependence of Bahá'í Communities...," JBS 4:1

Moayyad

=

Heshmat
Moayyad, "The Historical Interrelationship of Islam and the Bahá'í Faith," in
The Bahá'í Faith and Islam

Momen

=

Moojan
Momen, The Babi and Bahai Religions--Western Accounts

Nabil

=

Nabil,
The Dawnbreakers

Nash

=

Geoffrey
Nash, Iran's Secret Pogrom

Olya

=

Olya
Roohizedegan, Olya's Story

Qazvin

=

Qazvin's
history in E.G. Browne's Materials for the Study of The Babi Religion

Rabbani

=

Ruhiyyih
Rabbani, Priceless Pearl

Root

=

Martha
Root, Tahirih the Pure

Salmani

=

Ustad
Salmani, My Memories of Bahá'u'lláh

SBBR

=

Studies
in The Babi and Bahá'í Religions series vol. x

Schimmel

=

Annemarie
Schimmel, "Iqbal and the Bahá'í Faith," in The Bahá'í Faith and Islam

SE

=

Shoghi
Effendi, God Passes By

Sears

=

William
Sears, Cry from the Heart

Shii

=

Moojan
Momen, Introduction to Shi'i Islam

Smith

=

Peter
Smith, The Babi and Bahá'í Religions

Stories

=

Ali-Akbar
Furutan, Stories of Bahá'u'lláh

SWEGB

=

E.G.
Browne, Selections from the Writings of E. G. Browne

Thrzdh

=

Adib
Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. x

Waite

=

Gary
Waite, "The Religious State...," JBS 7:1

Walbridge

=

John
Walbridge, Sacred Acts Sacred Space Sacred Time

WM

=

Wendi
Momen, A Basic Bahá'í Dictionary

Chronology:

Date

Description

Sources

1805-1813

Russo-Persian
wars

Amanat
45

1829

Massacre
of Russian legation

Amanat
27

1839/40

The
Bab leaves for pilgrimage

Smith
13

1840

The
Bab's stay in Bushihr, Najaf, and Kerbela

Bayat
88

1840/41

The
Bab returns to Shiraz

Smith
14

1841

The
Bab in Najaf and Karbila, after having been in Bushihr

SBBR
15

1842.11

Massacre
of Shaykhis at Karbala

Amanat
60, 68, 220, The Bab 193 ff.

1843.12.31

Death
of Siyyid Kazim Rashti

Momen
xxviii

1844.01.22

Mulla
Husayn arrives at Karbila. Then on to Najaf, then Bushihr, then Shiraz, where
he met The Bab on 1844.5.22

1844.05.23

Declaration
of The Bab

1844.06?

Mulla
Husayn goes to Isfahan, then Kashan, then Qum, then Tehran, then Khurasan

Arrest,
trial, and death of Mulla Ali Bastami. Haji Abdul Majid beat Mulla Ali
repeatedly. This was the first affliction that befell a disciple of The Bab
after His declaration. He later died, the first The Babi martyr. WMomen gives
date as end of 1846. Amanat gives 1844.10, as does Huddleston. SE just says it
was before 1845.02. Waite says it was 1845.06 when The Bab heard the news and
returned to Iran. Momen, xviii, gives 1845.01.13.

Disciples
of The Bab punished at Shiraz. The Bab is arrested, taken to Shiraz

Momen
xxviii

1845.07

The
Bab brought under guard to Shiraz, released, re-arrested in Shiraz in 1845.09

Amanat
254-7, Huddleston 145, Smith 16, The Bab 105

1845.07?

The
Bab arrives at Bushihr (Nabil says "9 mos. after leaving same city on hajj").
Sends Quddus to Shiraz

1845.07?

Quddus
and Mulla Sadiq beaten and persecuted severely. First Babis persecuted on
Persian soil for the sake of their faith.

Nabil
103, 131, Thrzdh3 253-7

1845.10.01

The
Bab arrives at Medina (1 Muharram 1261)

1846.09

The
Bab leaves Shiraz for Isfahan, arrives 1846.9/10. Stays in home of governor of
Isfahan. Momen, xxviii, gives 1846.07.23

SE
13, Smith 16, 21, Waite 84, The Bab 105

1847-48

With
The Bab in prison, Babis got more militant. Folks killed and tortured. "Qazvin
massacre." Bahá'u'lláh has Tahiri taken to Tehran to protect her. Bahá'u'lláh
and Tahiri go to Mashhad

Nabil
201-3, Amanat 350, Smith 21-3

1847.02

Manuchir
Khan dies, The Bab ordered to Tehran

Huddleston
146

1847.03.19

The
Bab arrives at Kashan from Isfahan (?)

Smith
21

1847.03.21

The
Bab delivered into hands of govt., taken to Qum and Tabriz

1847.03.28

The
Bab arrives at Kinar-Gird, near Kulayn, near Tehran. Next day, 1847.3.29, sets
up a tent near Kulayn, where he stays a fortnight

1847.04.11

The
Bab leaves his tent at Kulayn for Tabriz

Waite
83

1847.07

The
Bab arrives at Mah-Ku, rejects offer of rescue

Waite
84

1847.08-09

Mulla
Abdullah arrives in Qazvin to visit The Bab and heard rumors that Mulla Taqi
pronounced The Bab a heretic. So he killed Mulla Taqi, in retaliation for which
many Babis are tortured and killed. First Babis to have bloodshed on Persian
soil. Huddleston 147 gives 1848 as date of first Persian death. Tahiri escapes.

Amanat
322-4, 350-1, Nabil 196-200, Waite 86, The Bab 166, Root 74-9

1848.03.29

Mulla
Husayn leaves Mah-Ku for Mazindaran, stays with Quddus

1848.04.10

The
Bab leaves Mah-Ku for Chihriq

SE
19, The Bab 132, Momen xviii.

1848.04.?

Mulla
Husayn goes to Mashhad, where Quddus soon joins him

1848.06-07

Badasht

Momen
xxviii.

1848.07

Skirmish
at Niyala kills some

Amanat
328, Nabil 215-8

1848.07-08

The
Bab brought to Tabriz, tried, and then bastinadoed

Amanat
391, Smith 20-1

1848.07.21

Mulla
Husayn carries the Black Flag from Mashhad to Tabarsi

Waite,
83, gives date as 1848.10

1848.09-10

Mulla
Husayn's party gets in fight near Barfurush, which leads up to the siege of
Tabarsi, Mazandaran

Nabil
238-49, Bayat 118--121

1848.09.04

death
of Muhammad Shah, ascension of Nasiri'd-Din Shah

Smith
26

1848.10.10

The
Babis first attacked at Barfurush. First of Mulla Husayn's engagements

Nabil
276

1848.10.12

The
Babis arrive at Tabarsi, construct fortress, 1848.12.01: Quddus leads attack
from Tabarsi, vanquishes most of enemy army. No Babis killed, only one wounded.
2nd of Mulla Husayn's engagements. 1848.12.21: Engagement with forces of Mihdi
Quli Mirza. Quddus injured. 3rd of Mulla Husayn's engagements. 1849.02.01: A
well inside Tabarsi was finished. Mulla Husayn says now is the time to prepare
to die. 1849.02.02: Mulla Husayn killed shortly after midnight. 4th of his
engagaments. 90 others wounded that night; most died. 1849.04-5: Black Standard
ceases to fly. 1849.05.09: Tabarsi ends